Poppies launch fundraising bid to improve online TV service

Sam Wildman

Kettering Town FC’s TV channel has launched a fundraising bid to improve their service and digitise old match footage.

Poppies TV hopes to raise £3,500 through Crowdfunding, with rewards on offer for anyone who donates.

The aim of the project is to raise enough money to digitise old tapes from 1998 to 2001/2 and improving the service they currently provide by buying new equipment.

The channel’s crowdfunding page says: “Poppies TV have recently very kindly been given a collection of tapes from the old days of Northants TV - which contain highlights packages of many Poppies matches from around 1998 to 2001/2.

“The collection contains between 80 and 100 tapes of roughly 30 minutes of highlights of many of the games from this period, which would potentially include the run to the FA Trophy final in 2000.

“They are however on a now obsolete format - Betacam SP.

“These tapes can be transferred to a digital format, but at a not inconsiderable cost.

“Poppies TV would love to have the tapes digitised, but currently have little or no funding, and whilst the archive footage is very desirable, there are currently other priorities, in terms of getting new equipment to improve the broadcast of current Poppies matches, and provide interviews and highlights packages for supporters to enjoy.

“The aim of this Crowdfunded project is to try and raise enough funding to pay for both the digitising of the footage, and badly needed new equipment - whilst also providing Poppies supporters with the opportunity to get some excellent rewards.”

The project will only be funded if the £3,500 target is reached by September 3 this year.

Fans will also be able to bid on items of memorabilia as part of the campaign.

Rewards on offer for donations range from free access to games live on Poppies TV to signed shirts and mascot packages.